Month: October 2025

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365 Coaching Tips: 298th, 299th & 300th

October 25th Coaching Tip: College Football Coaches Are CEO’s.

Top college football programs are multi-million dollar businesses. These football programs and coaches can transform universities and towns. This can work both ways; if the program wins, the benefits extend to an unmeasurable impact because it’s so large. If the football program loses, there are less visitors and fans, economic development, merchandise sold,

I’m feeling it and witnessing it as an alum of Indiana University. Our football program has been average to poor since our football team went to the Rose Bowl in the 1960’s. Sure, IU Football has gone to some other bowl games, but the fans haven’t been flocking to IU’s Memorial Stadium for decades. Now they are. Why? Because IU made the commitment to the football program, fired a nice head coach who did ok, and then hired a winning coach who had been overlooked for decades at numerous other programs.

In less than two years being on IU’s campus, Coach Cignetti has lit a fire under the IU students and alumni with the team’s winning performances last Fall and again this Fall. In fact, Coach Cig has the Hoosiers ranked #2 in the USA, only behind undefeated Ohio State and last season’s National Champ. Coach Cig isn’t just coaching college student athletes, he’s leading assistant coaches, trainers, volunteers; he’s in front of the media regularly and getting his “winning” viewpoint across to everyone. The IU alumni are now attending games, buying merchandise, paying attention, creating hype, etc. This may drive the University to add more high-quality seats to the 58,000 seat Memorial Stadium, which is 40,000 to 50,000 less seats than at Penn State, Tennessee, Michigan and Ohio State. When the new high-quality seats and suites are added, those fans will expect an upgrade in hotels, housing (AirBnB), restaurants, tourism, shopping and safety in the area nearby Memorial Stadium. The impact of an elite college football program and how it’s coach leads, wins, and communicates are BIG MONEY. (And I haven’t even mentioned all the NIL deals for the student athletes, which is multiple millions of dollars to attract top talent now.) Change is happening in college sports; in my opinion, there’s not a more important leadership decision than WHO is your college football coach. Do the math: 50,000 additional seats x $100/seat x 6 home games = an incremental $30 million dollars per year in revenue. Yes, there will be infrastructure costs to get those extra 40-50,000 seats, but the revenue is undeniable. An donor and businesses may fund that infrastructure.

October 26th Coaching Tip: VO2 Max Matters.

What is VO2 Max and what makes it so important to longevity? VO2 Max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can consume during exercise. In other words, it is your cardiovascular fitness measurement. My wellness goal is to have VERY good and elite level VO2Max. I learned how important it is when I read the book by Dr. Peter Attia, “Outlive.” It’s now a favorite and I have it “pinned” on my Apple iPhone “Health” info app. (free, on your iPhone)

Currently, my VO2 Max is at 35.8. For my age of 61 years old, that’s in the high range. This summer, I achieved my highest VO2 Max level (since I’ve been measuring it) of 39.8, as I prepped for the National Senior Games. How did I do it? I was doing regular high intensity interval training, with sprints, fast walking, and rowing for over 18 months. Since August, I have taken a bit of a break from the HIIT training that I was doing for 18 months. My brain was telling me to give my hips and Achilles tendons some relief. So I have done that, and so my VO2 Max has dropped 4 points. Now that I’m more rested up and fully recovered from a September cold, I’ll be doing the HIIT training again soon as I head to Naples for the winter.

October 27th Coaching Tip: Practice, Practice, Practice.

Next week, I’ll be speaking with some of my colleagues five different times. Although each time is 30 to 50 minutes, while sharing the “stage”, it’s important to prep, know what you’re going to say, what topics are relevant and on the mind of the audience, and how we engage the audience, are ALL very important as we prep.

The best speakers make it look easy, and it’s because they know exactly what they are going to say, when, with the right tone and pace, etc. They know when to smile, to pause, to raise their voice, to use their hands to reinforce a point. This is because they have practiced. Some of the best leaders are the best communicators. When a leader can articulate clearly and simply, it’s very helpful for the audience/team/company that you are leading. If you’re going to speak, take time to intentionally practice, practice, practice.

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365 Coaching Tips: 295th, 296th & 297th

October 22nd Coaching Tip: Get Caught Up.

As I drove home from work today, I realized that I forgot to update my notes today and leverage our CRM tool for my key activities. When I got home, I grabbed my work cell phone and put 30 minutes on my calendar first thing for tomorrow morning to quickly get done what I had forgotten to do today. We all forget to do things from time to time; it’s how you handle them moving forward. Get caught up, quickly. This will help declutter your mind and also builds confidence with your colleagues and clients, indicating that you have integrity and are dependable.

October 23rd Coaching Tip: Quick 15 Minutes.

Today I visited with two women who needed clarity on their business growth and also in organizing their work week. In a matter of 15 minutes with each of them, we jumped in quickly, they gave me an update on what they had been working on since I visited with them for one hour each over the last couple weeks.

I was proud of these women, because they both are committed to personally growing to help grow their businesses, and I could feel their willingness to get better. They both emailed after our 15 minute, quick session today and were so happy to be coached and to already start feeling progress. Don’t ever underestimate the power of a quick 15 minute accountability check-in.

October 24th Coaching Tip: Thinking Ahead.

Knowing that I had a one on one with my boss today, I got her my update a couple days ago. When we met for 30 minutes, we both were prepared. Again, thinking ahead, in early November, I’ll be heading to a conference in Florida to learn from national experts on a wide variety of topics; I’ll also be speaking at three different breakouts on three different topics. Yes, three. Today, I really took some time to prep on how I would be organized with my thoughts, focused on being easy to understand for the benefit of the audience, and be relaxed as I’m getting ready now to help reduce any stress.

As a professional that others rely upon, are you thinking ahead? Are you prepared? Are you remaining relevant, or falling behind? Think ahead. You’ll thank yourself, and yes, always stay present when you are with your clients. Think ahead AND be present.

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365 Coaching Tips: 292nd, 293rd & 294th

October 19th Coaching Tip: Let It Rain.

We finally got some rain. The ground was very dry; as the farmers harvested their fields, the dust was heavy. I was thinking about planting some trees and perennials, but it had been too dry. The rain sounded so pleasant as it hit the metal roof that I even got up to open the windows to hear it rain. Sleeping with those windows open was good; I slept a bit longer and also deeper. Let it rain, let it all soak in. The good Lord has perfect timing with all things and the rain today was one of many perfectly timed things.

October 20th Coaching Tip: Embrace AI.

It’s here and it’s not going away. What? AI. It’s here. It’s everywhere. For example, when you order something on Amazon, pretty soon, you will be getting similar products recommended. If you ask Siri a question on your iPhone, you may soon receive info on the topic that you asked about. Here’s what happened to me today: 1) I looked at an advertisement for a piece of jewelry, 2) clicked on the 15% and provided my email. Within minutes, I was receiving ads of similar looking jewelry but by different brands. It happened within seconds.

At work, our company made the decision to rollout Microsoft Teams and with it is included “Copilot”, which is a virtual person assistant on your laptop. Those who are utilizing it are getting work done much faster and it is saving time. My thoughts are if you don’t embrace and others do embrace it, you’ll be far behind and it’ll be hard to catch up. BUT, always remember that humans would to be noticed and loved. So do both, embrace AI and love others.

October 21st Coaching Tip: Racism Is Roaring.

Both of my godsons have let me know that in the last few days, they have been subjected to racial comments. These men are now in their mid-30’s, and they both are indicating that they have never heard comments like they are hearing now. For example, one of them said a black lady yelled at him and told him to go back to Mexico. The other said that as he was bartending, a white man was saying racist stuff that he had never heard.

As racism roars, I’m proud of my godsons for not engaging and moving on. Racism comments are unacceptable, and yet leaders in our country think that it’s ok to be selectively racist. Be better. As our mothers and grandmothers taught us, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Be intentionally better, treat others with respect and kindness.

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365 Coaching Tips: 289th, 290th & 291st

October 16th Coaching Tip: Ask For Grace and Flexibility. 

I was concerned that I would miss my flight today. Last night, I asked the meeting coordinator and my colleague to see if I could speak earlier on the agenda to help ensure I made my flight. When we explained it to the person that I was requesting the switch with, he agreed quickly and understood. He then went on to share with me that he recently had a very scary health issue and was rushed to the ER for emergency brain surgery. I looked at him and listened intently to his story about him experiencing a stroke and being unable to talk. He said it was so scary and happened to fast. Being curious and listening to him allowed me to understand why he was flexible for me.

He had grace for me; I had grace for him and what he went thru recently. 

October 17th Coaching Tip: Have A Plan. 

This week as I traveled to New York City, I made a plan to not workout BUT get my exercise by walking and doing my stretching exercises. I also planned to not drink any alcohol; I had one drink all week and lots of club soda. Lastly, although I wanted to, I made the decision to not attended a Broadway show. Although this was a difficult plan, I am pleased to report that I did it and feel pretty good as I fly home on a Friday evening. I made my health the most important goal of the week: my wellness is more important than ANYthing.

Had I not had a plan, I would have probably squeezed in a show, drank a few drinks, and missed some exercise and lacked sleep.  Have a plan. 

October 18th Coaching Tip: Lots on your mind? Write it down.

As I returned from NYC this week and settled in at home, I had a lot of to do’s on my mind as the evening wrapped up. Finally, I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote every item down, line by line. I even keep some pens and pieces of paper by my bedside, too. If I’m rolling around at night with lots on my mind, I find that if I write it down quickly in the middle of the night, I go back to sleep quickly.

Give your brain a break; there is a lot rolling around in your head. Write it down, or have a to do list that’s prioritized in your notes on your iPhone, or put something on your iPhone calendar to remind you to do a task. Leverage the simple and electronic tools to ease your mind.

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365 Coaching Tips: 286th, 287th & 288th

October 13th Coaching Tip: Check The Weather.

As I was packing and prepping for the work week, I repetitively checked the weather forecast for New York City. Flying there on a Tuesday, walking to work across Manhattan in three different buildings, I wanted to ensure I had the right closing for comfort and warmth, and of course the Fall breezy days. I also was checking the weather for the weekend, since we have football tickets to a home game for Michigan State at Indiana University.

I packed very well, and noticed that as I went thru the entire week with work and dinner clothing needs, as well as working out and sleep gear, I had packed just one extra tank top. The two extra scarves that I took worked well, as the sun went down in the evenings and I wore them to stay warm as I walked back from work/taxi drop offs.

As for the IU football game, intense weather alerts had been issued for game day. However, as I kept an eye on the weather very closely, it appeared to me that there would be no rain or threat of bad weather until about halftime. Sure enough, that’s exactly how it played out. I went to the game, stayed til halftime, then drove to our home to watch the second half. Meanwhile, as I was making the short 12 minute drive home, IU officials postponed the game and had all of the fans leave their seats and take cover under the stands. Check the weather; it can be a simple check on your cell phone to help you be safe and sound.

October 14th Coaching Tip: Business Decisions.

In the last few days, I have a rental property that has been available for a few weeks. Surprisingly, we have not had much interest; however, in the last few days, I have received two rental applications after my realtor showed it to them both. Both of these men felt they were going to be selected and communicated well with me. But, business decisions are just that: business decisions.

My CPA helps me with my taxes and making good tenant decisions purely on the data that he reads in the rental applications. Both tenants made alot of money and were going thru divorces. One (let’s name him “Mike”) had a higher credit score than the other candidate. Mike also had nothing on his background check and was less pushy in the process. My CPA recommended that we go with Mike. Although the other tenant had no pets and Mike had a cat, Mike was willing to pay a non-refundable pet deposit, too. Use data intentionally to help make great business decisions. Lead yourself with good leadership decisions.

October 15th Coaching Tip: You have options.

My mom got a recall notice on her Mitsubishi SUV. She called up her normal dealer and they were indicated that they didn’t know how to fix it. So mom called me; I reminded her that I used to be in charge of warranty and recall notices for Caterpillar. She had forgotten so I reminded her that she can take her Mitsubishi to any Mitsubishi dealer to get the recall fixed. 

Today, she proudly called me as she drove home from another dealer and said they got it done in 40 minutes and had been doing them all week. Remember, you have options. Use them! 

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365 Coaching Tips: 283rd, 284th & 285th

October 10th Coaching Tip: Embrace New People.

My mom and I enjoy going to watch the harness racing at Hoosier Park in the Fall. As a family, we have won some very big and important races. Even though she didn’t own any of the horses racing tonight, we decided to go again and she got 12 seats at 3 different tables in the clubhouse to watch the races and my nephew race. It was fun, great food, less stressful since we didn’t own any of the horses that were racing, and my nephew won two huge races; one was a longshot and I was screaming very loudly as he and his horse cruised down the final stretch to WIN!

Another treat on this night of racing was that I invited one of my IU women’s basketball teammates to sit with us and watch the races. She jumped at the opportunity to join us, and she convinced her sister and brother in law to drive to Hoosier Park and watch the races. I embraced them, sat with them, and really shared how to understand the program that helps them pick/bet/cheer for the horses. What a fun evening, watching them learn more about harness racing. Embrace others and share your love with something. It’s good juice for everyone involved.

October 11th Coaching Tip: Memories Together.

My neighbor turned 59 today. His wife invited me over for a small gathering of their parents and sons, and me. Did I go? Heck yeah. His wife made all kinds of yummy homemade food, with a theme that focused on the Indiana University football game versus Oregon. We devoured all of her goodies…and celebrated her husband’s 59th birthday with people that were closest to him. Help shine the light on others, and make impactful memories together. His 59th birthday won’t be forgotten; homemade food, with family, and an IU upset road win over Oregon.

October 12th Coaching Tip: Sundays Are Rest Days.

Today was a day of rest, right out of the good words in the Bible. Rest for the week ahead of high-stakes work in New York City with international leaders. We took it easy, read our Bibles, listened to music. With the intensity of work ahead this coming week and to keep up my overall wellness and resilience, it was important to prioritize rest today. I’m learning that in my 60’s now, business travel for me has to be a bit more planned. I need to thoughtfully move thru that week, but even more importantly, get hydrated and rest properly BEFORE I go on that business trip. My health has to be good and solid to help be present, helpful and purposeful for others as I coach them. Thus, today was a Sunday. And, Sundays are rest days, as requested by our dear Lord.

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365 Coaching Tips: 280th, 281st & 282nd

October 7th Coaching Tip: Listening? Put Your Phone Down.

When my partner and I are speaking, I find it VERY helpful to our conversations when I turn and look at her and really focus, all while putting my phone down or pushing it away. I’m learning that this sends a clear signal that my partner matters, and it is a physical movement that I intentionally take that really reinforces that this conversation is of higher value than anything could be on my phone. Put your phone down when you’re listening.

October 8th Coaching Tip: Call Ahead.

My mother does a great job of calling people and calling ahead. Why does she call? To get the results that she’s looking for. It works, because she is able to create a quick connection. She lets me know when she starts heading my way and then will let me know when she’s in the driveway. She will call her bestie/neighbor and let her know that she is going in to town, and ask if she needs anything. She will call the doctor’s office to see if anyone has cancelled or postponed an appointment, to see if she can get in earlier.

Pick up the phone and call ahead. It works, especially when you create a smile, embrace kindness and connection, with a results mindset.

October 9th Coaching Tip: Make It Look Pretty.

The contractors were pouring concrete today in front of the garage and front door at the house that we have been remodeling. Since I was at work and away, I talked to the guys in the morning and reinforced one thing: make it (the concrete) look pretty. Make it look just like your wife, with the one thing that would make her even prettier. They laughed and then said, “we got you, we understand.” I reinforced thru the word “pretty” that this was the first impression of the home: walking up the new concrete sidewalk to the front door and driving up to the new garage on the new concrete.

When I inspected the finished product this evening, I was so pleased with the quality of the concrete work. Indeed, it was pretty. Sometimes it’s HOW you communicate, and with WHAT metaphor, that helps get your point across and achieve the goals that you want.

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365 Coaching Tips: 277th, 278th & 279th

October 4th Coaching Tip: Full of games.

College football was in full swing this weekend. Lots of games, but for some reason, I kept a close eye on the Baylor game. Down by a bunch, the Baylor football team scored 18 points in the fourth quarter. And on the last play of the game, Baylor blocked a 37-yard punt that allowed the Bears to win the game by one point. Not a lot of commentary was heard about this game; neither team was ranked. However, WHAT AN EFFORT. The Baylor men never gave up…all the way down to the very last play. To win the game,, they all knew they HAD to block the punt. In witnessing the replay of the blocked field goal, I noticed that not one but multiple Baylor players jumped very high into the air to try to block the punt.

Although the day was full of games, it was the extraordinary effort by Baylor that captured my attention.

October 5th Coaching Tip: Patience Worked.

The hunt for frozen blueberries took us all over Michigan today. Although we had been in Michigan for three days, we had only been to one road-side market that had fresh blueberries. As those three days crept in to the fourth day, it was time to switch our hunt to frozen blueberries. And finally, at our last orchard stop, I walked in and went directly to the freezer area and boom, there were two bags of blueberries (2 x 10 lbs). Our patience worked out, especially after we pivoted and changed our search from fresh to frozen.

Be wise. Read the signals. Patience will be rewarded. It worked.

October 6th Coaching Tip: Go See Our Senior Seniors.

Over the past few days off, we visited a 96-year-old uncle in Traverse City and another 81 year old uncle near Detroit. With all the driving, traffic, hotels, etc., was it worth it? YES. We learned so much history from the 96-year-old about times during his childhood, while he was in the Navy, his work for the Michigan department of Natural Resources, etc. He forwarded photos to us for two days after our visit. He was thrilled that we cared about HIM. And my 81 year old uncle reminded me that he was a good track and field athlete; he high jumped, ran the 440, ran cross country, and pole vaulted. He referenced 10′ 9″ multiple times, so I’m guessing that he pole vaulted that high. Amazing, that’s almost 2X’s my height.

Go see our senior seniors. I’m 61 years old and a “senior citizen” now. But I view the 60’s as the go-go decade, the 70’s as the slower-go decade, and the 80’s as the slow-go decade. The senior seniors aren’t “me”; they are older and ready to share their stories to those who care to listen. It’s only of the most intentional and kind things that one can do.

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365 Coaching Tips: 274th, 275th & 276th

October 1st Coaching Tip: Love me some Yankees.

When I was a kid, we used to watch the Major League Baseball playoffs at elementary and middle school, and then when we got home at night. That’s when I fell in love with the Yankees. A homerun king, Reggie Jackson, caught my attention by hitting three homeruns in one game. I was smitten! And since that evening as an eighth grader, I have been a Yankees fan. (On October 18, 1977, in the sixth game of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in a row off of three consecutive pitches from three different pitchers.)

“Oh The Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss reinforces how important it is to go see difference place. My recommendation is to expose your kids to winners, and losers, to new terrain, to new foods and new cities, etc.. Oh the places that you will see as well. I’ve taken friends and family to the new and former Yankee Stadium. I was able to go to two games with my niece Katie and my nephew Kyle; niece Ally and I went to one game. Let’s Go Yankees!

October 2nd Coaching Tip: Get To Your Destination.

Today starts a 5-day vacation. We are making our annual Fall trek to Michigan. We both have family stories from Michigan, so we enjoy wandering thru MI in the Fall, stopping at farm stands, taking in the views of barns, wineries, orchards, farms, lakes, etc. We made the decision to be on the road (with three stops) nearly 6.5 hours to get to Traverse City. On the way, we stopped at a road-side farm stand and I bought one apple, small jar of local jam, local potato chips, and a pint of blueberries for $2. Yes, just $2!

Our goal was to get to our destination, so that we can truly enjoy our short stay up north, visit with some family, and see more sights. We head to a town we’ve never been before today, Charlevoix. Can’t wait. Get to your destination!

October 3rd Coaching Tip: Communicate Clearly.

At 815am this morning, an electrician called me from one of my house projects that was eight hours away. After a quick and thankful greeting, “happy Friday, thanks for calling me first thing in the morning”, we got to work. By communicating clearly what I needed worked on in three locations in the garage, outside, and in a barn, we were able to be on the same page. I then called my contractor, and he indicated he would be there in minutes. Why did I call the contractor? Because I spent a few minutes with him a couple days ago explaining what I needed the electrician to do. We three were all on the same page, because I had taken the time to 1) clearly identify what I wanted, 2) told my contractor in advance, too, and 3) told the electrician and also asked him for feedback.

A few minutes after the electrician and the contractor spoke, the electrician called me back and gave me an idea that would save me money and save him time and be just as effective. Communicate clearly…and let people know that you truly want their ideas and feedback. It works!